Spring Training Final Week Injury Recap

With Opening Day on Sunday, teams are wrapping up their Spring Training games. Here is a final look at the injury report heading into the final weekend.

Spring Training is an exciting time for baseball fans and fantasy owners. It’s our introduction to the 2016 season. We see some players with their new teams, and others returning home. However, with the good comes the bad. Throughout Spring Training, there have been a lot of injuries. Some worse than others, but they all affect you and your team in some way. With Opening Day so close, here is the final injury wrap up.

A.J. Pollock: In mid-March, Pollock was dealing with right arm soreness and the MRI came back with no issues. Arizona Diamondbacks Chip Hale said he will sit Pollock out for a week. He appeared in some minor league games last week, which then created concern for his Opening Day status. Hale said that the earliest he would return in Friday or Saturday against the Kansas City Royals.

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Pollock will be in the lineup for their Friday game. He looks good for Opening Day, but this is his first game since March 8. If he ends the game without any issues, then all signs point to go. If you own, for plan on drafting Pollock, keep an eye on this game. He is the second-best hitter for Arizona and a potential 20 HR/40 SB guy, great for fantasy.

Michael Brantley: Brantley has been progressing greatly from his shoulder surgery. He made his first appearance of Spring Training in a minor league game on March 17. He went 0-2 with two ground balls. He then went 1-3 with a home run two days later. The odds that he’s ready for Opening Day continued to grow, but then he suffered a setback.

He received a couple of days off after experiencing some soreness. He then spent the rest of Spring Training playing in minor league games. His progress slowed over the last week or so. Brantley will not be starting in left field. He resumed his hitting program Friday, but will likely start the season on the disabled list. It looks to be short-term though, so draft Brantley like you would if he was healthy.

Evan Gattis: Gattis underwent sports hernia surgery in mid-February. He spent the beginning of March going through hitting drills, first off a tee and then batting practice a couple of weeks later. Brian McTaggart of MLB.com said Gattis got three at-bats in a minor league game and ran at about 70 percent on March 22. One week later, it was announced he will begin the season on the DL.

Because he played in minor league games and not in Houston Astros’ Spring Training games, his DL start date is backdated to March 25. His earliest return date will be April 10. The Astros have other options to fill in for him, including Tyler White. Gattis has power potential, but will kill your batting average. He was my No. 4 DH, so if you can, go elsewhere to fill your utility position.

Jung Ho Kang: The Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman will begin the season on the DL. He spent most of March rehabbing the injury. He’s been running the bases, but unfortunately not at full speed. He played third base in a minor league game and only ran to first when applicable.

Pirates athletic trainer Todd Tomczyk told reporters on March 23 that he is still not planting on the bag or making sharp turns when running the bases. GM Neal Huntington said that mid-April is the likely target. His hitting has not disappeared, but the lateral movements in the field and the base paths hasn’t returned.

Next: 2016 Final Position Rankings

There are some pretty significant names on this list. Injuries in any sport are inevitable. It’s the sad truth. Many people are saying that Spring Training should be shortened. Until then, this is something fantasy owners have to deal with. I hope these injuries don’t affect your team. If they do, better hit up that waiver wire for some replacements.

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